Washing device for automobiles or like vehicles.



H. T. FORD. WASHING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES on L|KE,VEH|CLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.Z2, 1914.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

IN VENTOR flan 62% 775/2? WITNESSES ATTORNEYS I-IOWETH '1. FORD, OF CENTRAL VALLEY, NEW.YORK.

WASHING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES 0R LIKE VEHICLES.

Application filed September 22, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hown'rrr T. FORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Central Valley, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Washing Device for Auto-' mobiles or like vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has special reference to improvements in washing devices for automobiles and other vehicles, although it is herein stated that the device may be adapted for various uses where it is desired to first apply a stream of water to an article to be cleansed to loosen the surface dirt and foreign matter and then to remove the same by means of a sponge or mop which is continuously supplied with fresh clear water or cleansing fluid so that the efficient cleaning of the object is permissible in a convenient manner.

The invention relates more especially to an improvement upon the construction illustrated in my Letters Patent of the United States #1,096,704 granted to me on the 12th day of May, 1914, and upon a subsequent application, Serial Number 849,710, filed July 8, 1914, in that, in lieu of providing the washing device as an attachment for ordinary nozzles applied to lawn hose as now constructed, I provide a special form of nozzle having an integral socket-for receiving a handle to render more convenient the. washing of vehicles or other. objects which.

or parts of which are not ordinarilyi'n convenient reach and to further provide a sponge holder in the form of a cup-shaped member or guard through which the dis-:

charge end or orifice of the nozzle is adapted to project when the sponge is disposed in the path of the nozzle and held in this position so as to prevent the return of water to the nozzle and to the operator, while the holder is so mounted as to be 'readilv and conveniently swung to an inoperative position out of the path of the issuing stream or from alinement with the nozzle, to permit use of the stream independent of the sponge.

With the above and other objects in'view, the invention resides in the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed, it being also an object to provide a device which is simple in construction, durable and eflicient in operationand not likely to get out of order.

Reference is to be had to the accompany- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915. Serial No. 862,929.

ing drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference'indicate corresponding parts in all the views and in which 7 Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved washing device with a sponge applied thereto and disposed in alinement with the nozzle; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the sponge holder moved to an inoperative position, in phantom; and Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 38 of Fig. 2.

In referring to the drawings in detail, the

numeral 10 designates the improvednozzle of the device adapted to supplant the usual hose nozzle, and as is clearly shown in the drawings, it will be seen that the nozzle is considerably tapered to provide a relatively small discharge end or orifice 11 which is preferably beveled or flared outwardly, as shown at 12, to permit the free escape of a stream of water and cause the same to be directed outwardly when the sponge is fitted thereagainst. This nozzle at its coupling end 13 is provided for connection with an ordinary watering or lawn hose, being provided for this purpose with interior threads lof enlarged diameter relative to the adjacent end of the bore of the nozzle to provide a shoulder 15 for contact with the coupling member of the hose. Formed integral with or carried by the nozzle 10 so as to divergingly branch therefromis a hollow boss or socket 16 which is designed to receive a handle 17 of any desired length to project the washing device. in accessible or to reach distant objects- Also formed integral with the nozzle and socket as a singlecasting or carried by the nozzle in front of the socket to extend tangentially across the nozzle and project beyond the sides of the nozzle and socket, is a bearing sleeve 18 which forms a pivotal mounting for a sponge holder and guard also comprisplaces not ordinarily mg a portion of the device. This holder embodies a cup-shaped member or guard 19 which may also be described as a ring having a closed end wall 20 adjacent to the dis charge end of the nozzle and formed with a pair of angularly extending and diverging arms 21 projecting at diametrically opposite points of the cup-shaped member or guard for pivotal connection with the bearing sleeve 18 through the medium of a pivot bolt 22 which projects through pivot eyes 23 at'the extremities of the arms. I

A sponge or mop 24 is removably but securely held in the cup-shaped member or guard 19 and for this purpose the sponge is passed into said member and a pair of retaining members or screw bolts 25 are passed through the sponge at right angles at different planes, as well as through alined apertures in the lateral section of the cup-shaped member or guard, one end of each bolt being threaded in position to removably secure the parts together. In this manner the sponge may be readily removed and replaced when worn but will be securely held in position due to the fact that the bolts extend through the sponge while the sponge contacts with the interior surface of the cupshaped member or guard. The forward end of the guard is open, the mouth portion thus provided being preferably of irregular contour, as shown'at 26, to accommodate the screw bolts 25 and also to lighten the structure without detracting from the durability thereof. I

The cup-shaped member or guard when supported in the manner described is adapted to be moved into and out of alinement with respect to the nozzle and for this purpose is provided in its end wall 20 with an elongated aperture 27 having its major portion positioned to one side of the axial cen ter of the guard and extending vertically and equidistantly between the arms 21. The purpose of this is to permit the discharge end or orifice of the nozzle at the portion 11 to project into the area of the cup-shaped member or guard which receives the sponge so as to contact with the latter and cause the stream issuing therefrom to be discharged directly into the sponge and to thoroughly filter through the same. When the spongeholder operates on the pivot 22 as a center, the elongation of the aperture 27 will permit the cup-shaped member or guard to pass over the end of the nozzle to aline with the latter, and in order to retain the holder in this position as well as to close the portion of the aperture 27 beneath the nozzle, a closure plate or flap valve 28 is pivoted, as shown at 29, to the end wall 20 exteriorly and is provided with a recess 30 to conform to the contour of the nozzle exteriorly adj acent to said wall. This closure plate or flap valve 28 serves to entirely close the aperture 27 and means are provided to retain the plate in this position, such as a spring catch 31 of resilient metal anchored at one end to said end wall 20, as shown at 32, and having an aperture 33 receiving a pin or lug 34:

projecting rearwardly from the face of the closure plate. The pin is adapted to snap into theaperture 33 upon being swung beneath the catch but the'catch maybe released by moving the same outwardly through the medium of a hooked endor grasping portion 35 so that the platemay be'swung in-the d-irection of the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, whereby the holder may be swung on the pivot 22 to an inoperative position, as shown in phantom in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. In this position the handle 17 will serve as a stop to limit the swinging movement of the holder and support the latter, although if the handle is not in use in the socket 16 the hose to which the nozzle is coupled will serve the same function, as will be readily apparent.

In the use of the device the holder is moved to the last named position or out of alinement with the nozzle so that the stream issuing from the latter can be played upon the object to be washed and then the holder is moved to the full line position shown in the drawings and held in this position by the closure flap and retaining member. The stream will then pass through the sponge, which may be passed over the object to be washed and cleansed, so that a constant supply of fresh clear water will be had to insure a thorough and efficient washing and cleansing operation. The cup-shaped member or guard by snugly receiving the discharge end of the nozzle and constructed as described will prevent the return of the water to the nozzle or operator, and this is particularly essential due to the resistance offered by the sponge to the escape of the water, and thus the utility and usefulness of the device is greatly enhanced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letfoo ters Patent is 1. A washing device of the class described, comprising a nozzle adapted to discharge astream of water, a sponge holder pivoted to the nozzle to move into and out of the path of the stream from the same, a plate pivoted to the holder and adapted to swing toward and away from the nozzle and means carried by the holder to engage the plate when toward the nozzle so as to retain the holder in the path of the steam, said plate when swung away from the nozzle permitting movement of the sponge holder out of the path of the stream.

2. A washing device of the character described, comprising the combination with a nozzle; of a sponge holder movably carried by the nozzle to move into and out of alinement therewith, said holder forming a guard tightly fitting around the nozzle to prevent the return of water to the operator.

3. A washing device of the class described, comprising a nozzle having a discharge end of reduced size, a sponge holder pivotally holder and adapted to retain the latter in alinement with the nozzle or perm-it the same to move to an inoperative position out of the path of the stream issuing from the nozzle.

4. A washing device of the class described, comprising a nozzle adapted to discharge a stream of water, a sponge holder pivoted to the nozzle to move into and out of the path of the stream from the same and means to retain the holder in the first named position, said holder comprising a ring having a closed end adjacent to the nozzle with an aperture receiving the end of the nozzle therethrough for contact with the sponge, said retaining means serving to close the aperture of said end around the nozzle.

5. A washing device of the class described, comprising a nozzle adapted to discharge a stream of water, a sponge holder pivoted to the nozzle to move into and out of the path of the stream from the same, a cup-shaped member having an end wall adjacent to the nozzle provided with an elongated opening through which the nozzle projects, said opening permitting the holder to be moved on its pivot to dispose the sponge into and out of the path of the stream from the nozzle and means retaining said holder over the nozzle and causing the full discharge of water beyond the discharge end of the nozzle and preventing the return thereof to the nozzle or operators hands.

6. A washing device for automobiles and the like, comprising a nozzle having means for the attachment of a hose, a holder pivoted to the nozzle and comprising a cupshaped guard member, means detachably carried by the guard member to removably secure a sponge or mop therein, said guard I member having an elongated aperture in its end wall providing means to permit the projection of the nozzle therethrough and whereby the holder may be moved in front of or out of the path of the nozzle atone side, a retaining and closure plate pivoted 7 to the end wall of the guard to conform to the exterior surface of the nozzle and adapted to swing toward and away from the same to cover the aperture and permit movement of the holder out of the path of the nozzle or to cover said aperture and retain said holder in the path of the nozzle, and means carried by the holder to engage the plate to retain the same in the last named oted to the nozzle and comprising a cupshaped guard member, means detachably carried by the guard member .to removably secure a sponge or mop therein, said guard member having an elongated aperture in its end wall providing means to permit the projection of the nozzle therethrough. and whereby the holder may be moved in front of or out of the path of the nozzle at one side, a retaining and closure plate pivoted to the end wall of the guard to conform to the exterior surface of the nozzle and adapted to swing toward and away from the same to cover the aperture and permit movement of the holder out of thepath of the nozzle 7 or to cover said aperture and retain said holder in the path of the nozzle, means car ried by the holder to engage the plate to retain the same in the last named position, ahandle socket and bearing sleeve formed integral with the nozzle and arms projecting rearwardly from the guard for pivotal connection with the bearing sleeve as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A washing device for automobiles and the like, comprising a nozzle having means,

nozzle, and means carried by the holder to engage the nozzle whereby the holder may be held over the nozzle or disengaged from the discharge end thereof as desired.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWETH T. FORD. Witnesses W. M. GILDERSLEEVE, E. M. ODoNNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

